How can you tell an etching is authentic?

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If I post an entry every Monday to Friday, I’ve got to come up with over 250 posts per year, so I need ideas.  Please suggest some to me. This one comes from my daughter, Nicole. She asked me to answer questions that are commonly asked of me at shows. I was asked this question on Sunday at the Redondo Beach Antiques Fair. “How can you tell an etching is authentic?”

Louis Icart pulling a proof of Joy of Life from the etching press

Louis Icart pulling a proof of Joy of Life from the etching press

First you have to understand the process of producing an etching. The artist does his work on a copper plate, so the “original” is a copper plate and that’s rarely ever for sale. To produce the image, first the plate is hand-inked. Then the paper is laid down on top and the two pass together through the etching press, under tremendous pressure. The pressure transfers the image to the paper. Since the copper plate has thickness, it “dents” the paper around the edge of the image. This “dent” is called a plate impression. You can see it and feel it around the edge of the plate. So #1. A real etching has a plate impression.

Since the process is not photographic and there is no printing press, there are no dots in the image. If you use a magnifying glass to look at a photograph in a newspaper, you can see the entire image is made up of dots. Use a magnifying glass with an original etching and there are no dots. So #2. An authentic etching does not have any dots in the image.

After the edition is printed by the master printer, it is given back to the artist to hand-sign each one. Prints or other fakes have copies of the signature. So #3. Authentic etchings are hand-signed by the artist, usually in pencil.

In the case of Louis Icart, a raised seal called a blindstamp, was created in mid-1926, and is usually found in the lower left corner, just below the image. Most Icart images produced after this time have the blindstamp, but don’t use this information as a crutch. There are some fake etchings that have fake blindstamps. And conversely, there are many authentic Icart etchings that do not have a blindstamp. Supposedly the etchings without blindstamps were not for export from France, but personally I’ve found too many instances where this rule doesn’t seem to follow.

If you like my blog, please recommend it to others. Email me with your comments and suggestions. philchasen@gmail.com

259 thoughts on “How can you tell an etching is authentic?”

  1. Great information and very timely for me as I had just bought an etching by T.F. Simon (Tavik Frantisek Simon. What does it mean when you are given information that says VM-50 prints 2 states or could that be slates?
    Vernis Mou color softground. There are so many abbreviations that I do not know how to decipher. Thanks. Brenda

  2. Thanks, this is valuable info in an area where there is much confusion. I am getting some older prints in my biz & wanted to review what I remembered about etchings.
    There’s always more to learn about antiques & collectibles, especially as you expand your area of focus!

    Caryn
    Racing and Riding Collectibles
    Lexington, KY

  3. thank you for your website. i have a booklet by margerite kirmse of dogs title my recent etchings. i looked no dots. but the etchings are back to back. front dogs, flip over dogs, next page dogs, flip over dogs 4 total. is that possible to have originals back to back.i thought each had to be seperate on single sheets? i examine closely no dots on any. thanks for you help

  4. Thanks for the article on Etching Authenticity and Icart. I have an Icart that belonged to my Grandmother (bought in an antique store in the 20’s or 30’s – still in original frame)that I’ve been trying to authenticate. I was glad to read that not ALL true Icarts have the blindstamp, as this one does not. It’s numbered in the left lower corner, along side the title of the etching (le Paon Blanc)and has a signature in the lower right – but no blindstamp.

  5. Have you ever thought about putting more videos for your blog articles to keep the visitors more interested? What i’m saying is I just read through the whole article and it absolutely was pretty fantastic but since I’m way more of a visual learner, I found videos to be way more useful. well, let me know what you think.

  7. Thank you for this information. I have two etchings that pass #1 and #2 on your authenticity list, only one has a butterfly signature on the paper, which may not be real. The problem I have is that they differ in size from authenticated works (one larger and one smaller by a few centimeters on both length and width) and I cannot understand how that would be possible. I can only assume they are fakes. I have examined both with a magnifying glass and they have all the details of the originals but are lacking the crispness and the clarity due to either inking, plate wear, or the fact they are fakes. Would love your feedback.

  8. A different size usually means that it’s a reproduction. If you need to know for sure, my fee is $100 for appraisals/authentications.

  9. Philip, I have three very nice prints that appear to be hand colored etchings. On the back is a label: Framed by Franklin and it goes into some detail stating that these are hand colored re-strikes from old plates. The problem is that when I check closely with magnification I see a dot pattern in the shaded areas. I also see no plate impressions. Do you know the Framed by Franklin products? Can you comment on this?

  10. Sorry, Dennis, I’m not familiar with Franklin products. With dots in the background and no plate impression, it’s likely they’re not etchings. My guess is they’re photographic prints.

  11. I found a Julien Celos etching @ an antique store. The artist’s signature is in the lower right hand corner in pencil. I will go back & look @ it with a magnifying glass. Will I be able to notice the indentations if it is in fact an orginal etching? I know I will not be able to remove from the frame under glass to physically check for indentations. Any other tips you might have would be appreciated.
    Thank you

  12. You should be able to see the plate indentations if they haven’t been covered up by the matting.

  13. Thanks for the information on authenticating etchings. I have some items that appear to be etchings. They have the plate marks and there are no dots on them. They are also signed by Guido Gruenwald in pencil. Some have HCG with a circle around the C and it is located in the lower right or left corner of the etching. Can you tell me what the HCG means? Any information you can give me would be appreciated.

  15. I have a etching that passes 1 and 2 sorry to say I don’t not understand why the Icart is.The etching is of Belveder palace. And hand signed by why looks to like Ham Phillips but I’m sure I’m wrong about the name …Any help?

  17. Hi, were Louis Icarts works ever reprinted on cardboard and sold at stores commercially. We found a lovely one that bears a darn good “Estampe Moderne” embossment and a really authentic looking signature with pencil edging numbers to the mid right of the embossment. I have a few original etchings and this one on the cardboard even has the bottom plate indentation. Just wondering if these were something perhaps that were sold at department stores and he signed?

  18. Louis Icart did not print etchings on cardboard. Most likely what you have is an original etching that was glued to cardboard, something that was done frequently in the 1920s.

  19. Hi , I have 2 etchings that I have been told are original. They have the plate marks and there are no dots. I cannot seem to find a signature, however. These are No.200 Claude le Lorrain Published March 1777 John Boydell Engraver in Cheapside R Earlom Fecit and No. 66 Claude delin Pub Dec 1810 by Boydell & Co No. 90 Cheapside London R.Earlom sculp Can you tell me anthing about these?

  21. Hi Philip,

    I have an etching in a frame (wooden with maroon velvet insert) and the etching itself appears to be on copper/tin. The image is of lots of nude women who appear to be floating around a large moon (? circle). On the back of the artwork is paper which has ‘etchings 456 spencer street west melbourne’. I can’t read the signature though it’s in the right hand bottom corner. Any ideas? I bought it about 15 yrs ago in a second hand store.

    Thanks!

  22. The etching plate is usually made of copper. It’s used to print the edition on paper. Sorry, but that’s the best I can tell you from the information you’ve given me.

  23. I have three old “etchings.” They have plate marks, no dots and are presented on heavy ivory paper. They are not colored. Is it possible that the plate marks were added just for effect?

  24. I doubt the marks were added for effect. Etchings and engravings used plates, which would leave plate impressions.

  25. I have a Louis Icart “Venus” signed in ink and on top left has “copyright 1928 by icart, Pais.” Havent pulled it out of the frame to check for the stamp seal yet.
    Any suggestions or price value?

  26. Arlene, my fee for appraisals is $125 for the first item and $75 for each additional. Philip

  27. I have a Icart “Venus” I took it out of frame when I held it up to light I can see it says something down side but can’t exactly read it …I thought it said limweave and another word that started with a t ….I don’t see the “windmill” ? It also has lines on paper approx every 1 1/2 or so that is visible when held up?

  29. Is it “normal” for original etchings to have different colors used different pictures of the same scene? For example, I have one that is a city scene…shows a lady wearing and orange dress, and in another copy of the same etching I came across online, it shows the same lady wearing a green dress in that one.

  30. I was lucky enough to aquire an etching of a ginger jar. It is approx. three feet by two feet,with Imp. Firmin-Didot fr fils & Cie, Paris in the lower left corner, a symbol of a small dragon facing left in the bottom center. Could you find any information about this etching. Thank you.

  32. Did artist Louis Icart sign prints after they were matted? Because I have a print of ‘La Belle Rose’ that was signed after- as lower edges of signature ‘wrote’ on the edge of the matte.

  33. No, Louis Icart did not sign mats. He signed the original etchings by hand.

  34. I have an etching that passes all your tests. It is dated 3 May 1747. Does that mean the printing occurred on that date? Or, could they have reused the plate after that date. I assume that if the plate is in good shape, one could still use it today. So, how does one tell the age of an etching?

    My etching is of French ships captured by the British on that date. It was made for the Honorable Wellbore Ellis Esq by R Short.

  35. I still have not received a reply for my question, so reposting in case it was missed. Thank you.

    Mona on January 25, 2013 at 7:50 PM said:
    Is it “normal” for original etchings to have different colors used different pictures of the same scene? For example, I have one that is a city scene…shows a lady wearing and orange dress, and in another copy of the same etching I came across online, it shows the same lady wearing a green dress in that one.

  36. If a plate is still in good condition, new prints can be made from an old plate. If an etching is limited edition, the plate is supposed to be destroyed after the edition is run. It’s rare to find new copies made from original plates, so it’s unlikely an etching that looks old is new. The watermark may also give a clue to the paper’s age.

  37. Since the colors are applied to the plate individually for each copy from a limited edition, it’s possible for the same image to have different colors.

  39. Hello
    I found your info on blind stamps helpful. I have a vintage Lithographic print of an advertising poster by Steinlen, featuring his daughter and 3 cats. The first prints of this poster were produced in the late 1800’s. My print has a printers blind stamp in lower right hand corner. It has the letters ‘ST’ and ‘LIMITED EDITION’ within an oval border. the edition numbers read 1907/2000 written in pencil. Can you shed some light on who might be the printer and what age it could be? I guess 1930’s. Thanks for any help.

  40. I have read that the embossment EM on Icart etchings is from the period of 1919-1924, and that embossments were never on the actual picture. I have seen one of his 1934 etchings with this EM embossment right on the picture. Does that mean it is not authentic?

    Thank you.

  41. I can’t ever recall seeing the EM embossed stamp on the image. I’m not sure what it means. Doesn’t make sense. Sorry.

  42. I have a small iCart picture of a girl with a dove feeding her grapes. I think it is named “Girl with Grapes.” it has the copper plate impression and upon examination under a 200x magification does not show any printing dots, so I believe it is an etching. There is, however, no blindmark in the corner. Any idea of the range of value?
    Does no blindmark mean it is a knockoff/fake?

  43. No blindstamp could mean the etching was produced prior to 1926 or that the etching was meant for sale in France. It does not automatically mean that it isn’t an etching.

    For valuation, you would need to pay my appraisal fee of $125.

  44. Thanks for posting your information on how to determine if a etching is an original. I was given a 12″ by 9″ Floral fine 18th century hand colord etching by French artist Louis Tessier. I has the plate print around the floral print and does not have any dots when looking at it through a magnifying glass. The signature is in the left hand coroner, but it it has an R with a circle around it and SLZ w/ with a circle around it. Both circles are side by side w/ those letters enclosed inside. Would you share your thoughts on if this is a fake? Thank you

  45. Sorry, but there’s no way I can tell from your description. I would have to see a photo.

  46. I have a etching that passes 1 & 2. The print with plate marks measures 4 1/2 X 7 in. It is matted and in an ornate frame. The matting measures 5 1/2 X 7 3/4 in. It is a picture of 3 goats lying on a rock and it is signed, as part of etching, J. Roos in the upper left corner. It was given to me and I’ve always felt that the care that was taken in framing it must have some value. If you feel it does I would gladly pay for an appraisal. Thank You

  47. Sorry, Dave, but I’m not qualified to appraise all etchings. I specialize in the works of Louis Icart. Best of luck with it. Philip

  48. we have two prints/ etchings by Celos. The only impression I see in the paper is surrounding the image. There is a small copyrght c in te lower left corner (of the item) and just above on the top left are the numbers / letters “SE112” on one and “SE113” on the other. OR maybe it’s a “GE”? Any guidance on those conventions or whehter these sound authentic or cut out of a book?

  49. The plate impression is supposed to be just outside the image. Without seeing the etchings in person, I couldn’t be of more help. Best. Philip

  50. Hello,
    I have just received “The Raising of Lazarus” etching that was bought many many years ago and was passed down to me. It is in a frame and looks great, it is signed and I just need to know how I can tell if it is real or fake??

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